Trigger warning: This article covers themes related to mental health challenges and emotional distress. Reader discretion is advised.
With 43 per cent of the Australian population experiencing a mental illness at some point in their life, psychologists play a crucial role in providing guidance and support for mental health issues such as anxiety, stress, depression and more.
While they do not prescribe medication, psychologists assess and diagnose a range of psychological disorders and develop evidence-based strategies and treatment plans.
If you’re considering a career in psychology, you might be curious about what a typical day for a psychologist looks like. While every psychologist’s average day can look different, it can still provide some good insight into what the role entails.
In this article, we’ll explore what an average day looks like from the perspective of a general psychologist, covering everything from how they prepare for the day to how they structure client sessions.
A day in the life of a psychologist
Luke Lawrence is the director and principal psychologist of Geelong-based private practice, Explore Psychology, in Australia. While he started out in the finance and accounting sector, Luke decided to switch to a career in psychology as he wanted to engage in more meaningful and impactful work.
“I just felt like psychology was a far more important field to be working in. I’ve had experiences of my own with mental health-related problems and so I understand what it’s like to not have support when you need it for something that’s difficult to talk about.”
When it comes to how many clients he sees a day, as Luke manages his own private practice, he limits appointments on Mondays and Fridays to focus on other responsibilities but typically sees around five clients a day during the rest of the week.
Morning preparation
Luke begins his day with a coffee on his way to work. He typically arrives at his office by 9am, starting his morning with a mindfulness meditation which helps set the tone for the rest of the day.
“I always do a meditation between when I arrive at the office and my first appointment. It’s only a 10 to 15-minute mindfulness meditation but it helps me feel more grounded and allows me to be more present for the first client.”
He then spends the next hour focusing on some administrative tasks and preparing for his first client.
“This might include invoicing for the following day’s appointment, finalising any draft notes from previous sessions that I’ve had and familiarising myself with case notes for all the patients I’ve got booked in that day.”
Client sessions
Luke’s sessions are 50 minutes in duration and he either meets with one client face to face for an individual session or two people for couples counselling. While it is a rare occurrence, Luke mentions that there may also be an occasional support person that joins the client for the consultation.
Luke usually only has a 10 minute break between clients so he uses that time to get a drink of water, go to the bathroom and prepare the consultation room for the next client. Come midday, Luke will also take an hour for lunch.
In terms of his client schedule, Luke likes to keep his schedule varied and sees different types of clients every day.
“I would be doing some pain psychology if it’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC) or WorkCover, some Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) if it’s depression and anxiety, schema therapy for childhood-related parenting issues or Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) for trauma. I won’t structure my day in terms of therapy type, it’s a mixed bag everyday.”
In terms of the issues Luke commonly addresses in his practice, he states, “Definitely trauma, whether sustained in childhood or later in life. I do work a lot with depression, anxiety and relationships. With relationships it often involves couple counselling or exploring attachment style types. I do have a number of clients with addiction problems and a few with personality disorders.”
He also notes that clients often present with multiple problems and not just one issue.
“Usually there’s co-morbidities as well, which means it’s not just one problem. Someone might be anxious and has also experienced trauma. So we start looking at that anxiety as potentially being a byproduct or a symptom of the initial trauma.”
Session structure
If Luke is meeting with a new client, he starts by reading about their presentation from the general practitioner (GP). He then uses the first session to gain a better understanding of his client’s background and needs.
“My first appointment with a new client is very different from all of the subsequent appointments as it’s focused on gathering information. It’s almost like a clinical interview as I ask a lot of questions to get a better understanding of their history, make sure that they are aware of the confidentiality of the conversations, that they’ve read the informed consent document and understand the payment agreement.”
When it comes to his regular clients, however, Luke has a typical session structure that he follows.
“I usually check in with them on their mood, their sense of wellbeing and how they’ve been feeling in the last couple of weeks. If there has been a significant event like a relationship ending or a loss event then the day’s session will be spent addressing and talking about that.”
If the client has been trending fine over the past few weeks and has reported no issues, Luke usually proceeds with a recap of what was talked about in the last session before continuing on with activities, exercises or counselling techniques tailored to the client’s needs.
“Your approach needs to be client-centred because if you offer up the exact same delivery, format and therapy type to every client irrespective of their actual needs and their style of processing and coping then you’re not going to get good outcomes.”
He also emphasises the importance of acknowledging cultural differences between clients.
“Some forms of therapy just aren’t appropriate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples or people from a different background and culture because of their beliefs or their traditions. Cultural narratives are really powerful in terms of the way someone sees the world and themselves.”
Frequency of client sessions
As to how many appointments each client needs, Luke mentioned that there are a lot of factors that can influence that.
“How many appointments to have and what each appointment is going to look like is ultimately for you to suggest because you’re the professional. While that’s all well and good, that’s not taking into consideration the client’s availability for appointments and their ability to pay for appointments. So it ends up being a bit of a collaboration between you and the client as to how often you meet, how many appointments they might need and what each appointment is going to look like.”
Generally, however, Luke sees most of his clients every two to three weeks. If his clients are in crisis, Luke tries to make time to see them weekly but never more than once a week.
Challenges in client sessions
During his client sessions, Luke sometimes encounters challenges such as when a session doesn’t go as planned or when progress feels stagnant. In such moments, he reflects on whether their relationship is functioning effectively.
“It depends on why our relationship might have stagnated. It could be a rapport issue where the relationship has deteriorated in some way. In those times, it can be tricky, but you have to honour the relationship by addressing it openly. I’ll ask questions such as how are you feeling about how things are going? Do you feel like I’m someone you can continue working with? Is there something about my approach that doesn’t work for you?”
Luke may also revisit the client’s goals to guide the session back on track.
“I’ll go back to the goals we set for therapy and whether we’re moving towards them. I’ll ask questions such as do you see yourself being able to achieve those goals by staying in therapy with me? And what do we need to do? Do we need to change the goals? Do they no longer apply?”
Luke also encounters difficult sessions with clients in crisis which can be particularly challenging. Luke recounts a recent experience he had with a client who was dealing with significant personal struggles and required immediate support. To ensure her wellbeing, he provided her with a safety plan and coordinated intervention with a third party.
He finds these situations especially difficult due to the limitations that he’s able to provide as his role as a psychologist and the uncertainties involved.
“It’s challenging and quite often you’re left not really knowing what’s going to happen. I’m not an emergency service worker so I can’t be there 24/7 for someone. They’re the challenging ones that I’ve faced and it’s never easy.”
While there can be challenges in being a psychologist, Luke states that there can also be rewarding moments.
“This client had experienced complex trauma throughout her life. We've been working together for about three months and I provided her with EMDR. At the end of the session, she literally walked out of the room looking like a different person. She said, “Do people walk around like this all the time without constantly thinking about the past? Do they really feel this free?”
For Luke, moments like these highlight the impact of his work. “Hearing someone say how grateful they are because you’ve relieved them of the physical burden of post-traumatic stress is incredibly gratifying. It was a big win.”
Beyond client sessions
Other than client sessions and administrative tasks, Luke spends the rest of his free time on continuing professional development.
“I am mandated by the Psychology Board of Australia to do 30 hours a year. This includes peer supervision and professional development. Peer supervision is usually outside of business hours, catching up with a colleague and talking through cases. Continuing professional development usually consists of doing online training that I’ve subscribed to. I can work through it during the day and do five minutes or half an hour depending on my schedule.”
After work and evenings
Luke usually finishes work by 5pm and spends the rest of his evening unwinding.
“I make sure that I have a good meal at night and try to go to bed at a reasonable hour. I also try to go to the gym once or twice a week, watch TV and play video games. All of these activities help me relax and give me something to look forward to at the end of the day.”
He also stresses the importance of being able to establish clear boundaries between work and personal downtime.
“If I find myself thinking about my client’s case or the work that I’m doing with them outside of office hours, I visualise my office door being closed and all my clients inside the office. I then close that door and lock it, reminding myself that all my clients are there waiting for me but until I’m at work I’m not in a position where I can help them in any way.”
Becoming a psychologist
If you’re interested in becoming a psychologist, there are different psychology career options to choose from, whether that be becoming a counselling psychologist, general psychologist or clinical psychologist.
When it comes to the differences in the day to day of a clinical psychologist and general psychologist, Luke notes that the overall structure of their workday is largely the same though this may not apply to all clinical psychologists.
“I have a colleague who recently became endorsed for her clinical registration and her day to day is pretty much the same as mine. It’s five clients a day, plus or minus one. The main difference might be in the type of referrals clinical psychologists receive. They may get more acute or complex mental health issues. For example, they might work with a patient that has a severe clinical treatment resistant form of depression or anxiety.”
Pursue a psychology career
At GlobalHealth Education, our university partners offer a range of online postgraduate psychology courses. These courses will help you build on foundational psychologist knowledge and skills and also prepare you for a career as a psychologist.
Reflecting on his path to becoming a psychologist, Luke states. “I don’t think anyone new to this profession starts out believing they can do it. The good thing about the training, particularly the master’s, is that you develop skills like learning how to professionally distance yourself from other people’s trauma.”
If you are interested in learning more about our online postgraduate psychology courses or exploring other online healthcare courses in nursing, mental health, public health, counselling or social work, select a course here to speak with a Student Enrolment Advisor and begin your journey towards a fulfilling career in psychology.
